Experienced • Passionate • Dedicated
Our team and associates share a belief in the power of changed perspectives. With experience across diverse sectors and industries, we create transformative experiences that enable people to thrive.
Our Core Team
Matthew founded Emerging World in 2004 with a clear purpose: to create transformative experiences that engage people in tackling the issues that matter. Inspired by a formative volunteering experience in Mexico, he saw first-hand how immersive learning can shift perspectives and behaviour. Matthew now leads the business globally, working with multinational organisations across more than 50 countries. Based in Wales, he combines a background in psychology, business and action learning with deep cross-cultural experience. He is motivated by bringing meaning, purpose and opportunity into leadership development.
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Matthew Farmer
Founder & Managing Director
Amanda’s career has focused on the interface between business and society. She began in marketing, including roles at Nestlé and Sainsbury’s, before moving into the nonprofit sector where she pioneered programmes connecting companies with NGOs. She played a leading role in developing corporate volunteering across the UK, Europe and internationally, introducing skills-based volunteering to over 100 multinational companies. A founding director of The Partnering Initiative, Amanda joined Emerging World in 2014. She leads the Employee Engagement Practice and coaches on client programmes as a certified Action Learning Coach.
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Amanda Bowman
Client Director
Kirsty is a coach, facilitator and programme designer with over 20 years’ experience supporting leaders and teams across corporate, public and social impact contexts. Since joining Emerging World in 2009, she has partnered with global organizations to design and deliver programmes that strengthen capability and widen perspective. Her background spans youth work, international expeditions and experiential learning across six continents, shaping her systemic and embodied approach to leadership development. Kirsty brings deep operational expertise and a commitment to sustainability, regeneration and collaboration in all her work.
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Kirsty Foster
Operations Director & Coach
Maeve supports the Employee Engagement solution area at Emerging World, managing corporate volunteering and social impact initiatives across multiple geographies. With over 10 years of experience in the social impact space, Maeve has worked and partnered with large corporations, public sector organizations, nonprofits and start-up social enterprises from programme design through to implementation and measurement. Alongside this, Maeve brings strong marketing expertise, with a particular strength in strategy, content development and storytelling. She joined Emerging World in 2021.
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Maeve Spence
Employee Engagement & Marketing Manager
Ionela brings over 18 years of experience in talent development, program design, coaching and facilitation. Having lived and worked in Romania, the UK, Cambodia and Spain, she brings a global perspective shaped by partnerships across corporate, public and social impact sectors. She is particularly proud of designing a vocational training programme in Cambodia that equipped young professionals with data analytics and essential soft skills, enabling many to secure meaningful employment. Ionela is passionate about practical, inclusive learning experiences that create lasting shifts in mindset and behaviour. She joined Emerging World in 2023.
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Ionela Spinu
People Development Program Manager
Our Wider Team
Our wider team share our belief in the power of changed perspectives. They bring contextual understanding and on-the-ground expertise along with global reach and local insights, to deliver transformative experiences wherever our clients need us.
Amy Moore has worked globally in the field of leadership development for the last 25 years. Drawing on her experience at Bain & Company, she works with leaders and teams to identify existing patterns and the shifts needed to drive impact. She is known for her systemic approach, and strong listening and questioning skills that prompt insight to help maximise effectiveness.
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Amy Moore
South Africa
Céline Schillinger is an award-winning change practitioner and author of Dare to Un-Lead. With 30 years’ global experience, including 17 in pharma, she focuses on large-scale transformation and relational leadership. She helps organizations move beyond top-down models to unlock collective performance, human agency, and sustainable change.
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Céline Schillinger
France
Dr. Chuck Appleby is a leadership and organization development consultant and coach. Co-Founder of the World Institute for Action Learning and a Master Action Learning Coach, he supports leaders globally across government, NGOs, and private firms. His work combines Action Learning, coaching, and leadership development to drive mission success and engagement.
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Dr. Chuck Appleby
US
Ed is an experienced executive coach supporting senior and emerging leaders across all sectors. A former senior leader at Marks & Spencer, he brings strong commercial insight to leadership development. He coaches using a wide range of tools and techniques including emotional intelligence, systemic approaches and psychometrics, and is a certified Senior Action Learning Coach (WIAL).
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Ed Williams
UK
Elizabeth Rushton is an executive coach and leadership development consultant with 20+ years in HR and people development across sectors including BAE Systems and Serco. She partners with leaders to drive transformation and performance. Her coaching blends ICF standards, neuroscience, psychometrics, and Action Learning to build clarity, influence, and readiness for future roles.
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Elizabeth Rushton
UK
Els brings over 25 years of international HR leadership experience across organizations including Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Banco Santander and Philips, shaping people strategies that drive business impact and sustainable growth. An Action Learning coach for 15 years, she serves on the board of the World Institute for Action Learning and is an adjunct professor at Luiss Business School and Collège des Ingénieurs.
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Els Van de Water
The Netherlands
Joelle Pfeiffer is a Certified Action Learning coach who brings a gestalt lens, vertical development and intercultural competence frames to her work. Her deep joy is activating potential in her leadership development work. Her background includes executive leadership in international Non-profits/NGOs, coaching and organization effectiveness in the private and government sectors.
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Joelle Pfeiffer
US
Marcia Yokota is an executive, team, and Action Learning coach with 25+ years’ experience in human behaviour and international marketing. A PCC and ACTC-certified coach, she helps clients navigate the complexities of leadership and transformation while expanding their possibilities to have meaningful impact in their lives, teams, organizations and communities. Her approach blends business experience with coaching to enable meaningful, sustainable results.
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Marcia Yokota
Brazil
Melerick Mitchell is a talent development architect, Action Learning coach, and consultant designing transformational strategies for leadership and performance. He partners with global leaders to build capability, strengthen business acumen, and develop resilient cultures. His work integrates coaching, engineering precision, and leadership development to drive measurable organizational impact.
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Melerick Mitchell
US
Peter Cauwelier is a team coach, facilitator, and Master Action Learning Coach with 30 years’ global experience. Founder of TEAM.AS.ONE and WIAL Thailand, he specialises in leadership and team development. He developed the Team Psychological Safety Certified Practitioner program which to date has certified over 750 people around the world. He has also delivered programmes across Asia and certified 100+ Action Learning coaches worldwide.
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Peter Cauwelier, PhD
Thailand
Richard Strudwick is a facilitator, coach, and consultant with 20+ years’ experience delivering transformative leadership programmes globally. In his work with Emerging World, he creates immersive development experiences grounded in coaching and Action Learning. He has worked with organizations including Maersk and Salesforce to build self-awareness, shift perspectives, and enable lasting change.
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Richard Strudwick
UK
Dr. Sammy Njenga is a leadership and management consultant with deep expertise in systems thinking, organisational transformation, and sustainability‑led change. Grounded in African perspectives on systemicity, he designs and facilitates immersive learning experiences that support organisational viability and strategic alignment. Sammy brings an engaging, reflective facilitation style that enables leaders to navigate complexity, strengthen learning cultures, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable and regenerative futures.
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Dr. Sammy Njenga
South Africa
Sarah Jones is an Executive Coach and Facilitator with international experience in leadership and team development. She partners with individuals and teams to create meaningful transformation, combining challenge and support to turn insight into results. Previously a regional manager, she led multicultural teams across the Middle East and India.
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Sarah Jones
Germany
Verieux Mourillon is a transformational consultant specialising in responsible leadership and institutional renewal. With over 20 years’ experience across the Caribbean and UK, he designs leadership development programmes and embeds performance systems in complex institutions. A published researcher, he advances evidence-based culture change and behavioural intelligence for sustainable impact.
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Verieux Mourillon
Barbados
Where to go next
Impact
How our work is having an impact.
Our Partners
Working with purpose-driven social impact organizations to inspire change.
Our North Star
Transforming systems to help people and organizations thrive.